Daisy Nascimento
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio - Starting next July, a new airline company will commence operations in Brazil. Wayra-Peru, which was created recently, aims to win a portion of the Brazilian commercial aviation market and will establish a line Lima (capital of Peru)/São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro. The new company represents a partnership among the Brazilian companies Maritime Petroleum and Engineering and Ocean Air Lines and the Koechlin group from Peru. The president of the Maritime company, Gerson Efromovich, said that he is confident in the success of the partnership.

He also praised the government's current policy for the sector, permitting the entry of new firms. "The Brazilian government's policy has been to avoid predatory competition, on the one hand, and, at the same time, to maintain the supply in sufficient volume for users to enjoy quality services and for there to be a minimum of competition," Efromovich added.

The start-up investment for Wayra-Peru to begin its flights amounted to US$ 7 million. The company will operate with 4 Fokker 100's, plus a reserve plane, in domestic flights beginning in March, 2005, to 12 Peruvian cities. Wayra-Peru intends to win at least 30% of the Peruvian commercial aviation market next year.

Translation: David Silberstein